


Passing of the Torch

by Grimalkenkid



Category: The Last Guardian (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Cross-Generational Friendship, Friendship, Gen, I don't care how happy the ending was, Spoilers, it needed to be happier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-09-26 03:32:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9860492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grimalkenkid/pseuds/Grimalkenkid
Summary: The boy may have escaped the Nest years ago, but the Nest isn't done with him. A new tragedy strikes, bringing him and Trico back together... but not without a few new friends.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Since we don't have an official name for the boy, I decided to call him Yukio for the purposes of this fic. Given how many other human characters will show up, calling him "the boy" would've gotten confusing very fast.

Spears pierced his side, but the beast did not care. He had come so far to protect the boy. He couldn’t leave. Not until he knew the boy would survive.

He took a step forward, but the men thrust their spears towards his face. The beast cried in frustration. The boy was his friend, his companion. He would not let a few men and a few spears keep him away.

“Tri… co…”

The beast’s ears flicked forward to the boy’s voice. The boy was alive! He had to get to his side now more than ever.

“Tri… co… go…”

The boy struggled to lift his arm, and the beast watched intently, even as he roared at the men. The boy was pointing away from him and the men, though. That wasn’t right. He couldn’t leave.

“Trico… go… away…”

Letting out one final roar of anguish, he crouched and raised his wings. He had to stay, but the boy wanted him to go. Instinct warred with protectiveness, and one final spear pierced his body. There was no place for him here. No place for beasts. He bounded over the men’s heads, sprinting across the field just before he leapt into the air. His huge wings carried him higher and higher, away from the village.

But his cries carried, letting all the men know his pain.

And letting the boy know that he was still loved.

* * * * * * * * * *

The sun rose a second time before the beast returned to its home. Everything was so different now. He had never noticed all the crevices and peaks that carved through the valley floor. Getting the next barrel was all he used to think of. But he didn’t feel hungry anymore.

The beast landed in a grassy field and collapsed. He was too tired to move, and the spears hurt too much. This was the longest he had gone without the boy removing them from his body. It was wrong, not having him there. The beast let out a whine and fell asleep.

A low crooning roused him. He slowly opened his eyes to see another beast sniffing his wounds. Her face wasn’t obscured by a mask, but a harness was still firmly latched around her chest. He knew this one, and she knew him. It hadn’t been that long ago when she was trying to snuff the life out of both him and the boy.

She met his eyes for the briefest of moments, then started tugging at one of the spears. It hurt, but it always hurt the most before the pain went away. The beast huffed softly as the other beast clamped down and pulled the weapon free. He whined sharply as it came out, but he knew it would get better now. The other beast moved onto the next spear… and the next… and the next… until all that remained were bloodstained wounds.

The beast lay his head back down over his paws, expecting her to leave him alone to recover. There was a moment of surprise when she settled down beside him, gently grooming the feathers around his wounds. It wasn’t the same – she was far larger than the boy by several degrees and her tongue felt nothing like small hands stroking his back – but the anxiousness he felt since leaving the village without his friend seemed just a bit… less.

The beast gave a single croon of appreciation before falling back asleep.

* * * * * * * * * *

“That’s impossible.”

“You must have been dreaming.”

“It was dying. It was just making a plea for its life.”

“It’s dead by now. What does it matter?”

The words of disbelief blended together in Yukio’s mind. He didn’t expect the elders to believe everything he said, but it still stung. Trico risked so much just to get him home safely. To be the only one who saw that…

Yukio cast his gaze to the markings that still marred his skin. Even after days of sleep and multiple baths, they were still as bold and dark as ever. His caretaker said that they might never fade. The boy was fine with that. Even if his words were dismissed, the elders could never say his markings were not real. The one thing he still had of Trico…

He could feel tears begin to fill his eyes. Yukio would never see his friend again, never smooth down his black feathers, never hear his echoing roar when he so much as left Trico’s sight…

“Quiet,” the chief’s steady voice cut through the murmurs and accusations. The elders went silent almost immediately, and even the boy tried to swallow his tears as he rubbed the wetness from his eyes. “Yukio. You swear that what you say is true?”

Yukio nodded, not trusting his voice to convey his sincerity.

The chief gave a single nod in turn and looked to the rest of the men gathered. “Then that is that. We have no proof his story is true, but neither do we have proof that it isn’t. The torikomo returned him to us, and that is what matters.” Turning back to the boy, his gaze softened ever so slightly. “Yukio, why don’t you go play? You’ve been through quite the ordeal. Some time among your friends will do you some good.”

Yukio didn’t really feel like playing and frolicking with the other village children, but he nodded again and left the elders’ hut. He could feel all their eyes on him as he went and heard them begin to talk as soon as the door closed behind him. They were still debating the truth of his tale. The boy hurried away from the hut. He truly didn’t want to play, but being alone would be far worse.

Reluctantly, he sought out the other village children, finding them playing a game of ball. Yukio knew they were looking at his markings while they played. It still felt better to be an oddity among his fellows than a liar to the elders… or alone with memories of a friend he’d never see again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be happier, I swear!
> 
> (A big thank you to arisuchansenpai for beta'ing this chapter!)


	2. Chapter 2

_15 years later…_

“Still playing with that thing, Yukio?”

Yukio looked up from the shield to see his best friend coming up to his side. He had a spear in each hand and a smile on his face.

“This thing saved my life more than once, Haru,” the boy – now a man – responded, hanging the shield on his belt.

Haru chuckled and handed a spear to Yukio. “Don’t you mean Trico saved your life more than once?”

“So you _have_ been listening. Yes, Trico did most of the saving.”

“You don’t think I pay attention to your stories?” Haru placed a hand over his chest in mock disbelief. “I’m offended you’d think that about me.”

Yukio gave a light push on his friend’s back to get him moving. Haru stumbled slightly before jogging off to join the rest of the young men who would be hunting that day. Yukio hung back for a bit, though. He was grateful that Haru didn’t roll his eyes whenever he mentioned Trico and that he acted like the beast was just another member of their village. However, Yukio wanted to be alone with his memories for just a bit longer.

Ever since the children had found the shield half buried in the ground, he’d been thinking about his time in the Nest. It all seemed so long ago. Yet, when he told the children the entire story – the first time he’d done so in years – all the troubles and joys of that time came back at once. It was hard not to cry about all the things that could’ve been.

A tug at his tunic brought the man back from his thoughts. He looked down to see one of the village girls staring up at him. Yukio knelt down to face her, but she drew back a bit when she realized she had his attention.

“Ami, is something the matter?”

The girl wrung the hem of her tunic in her hands, looking anywhere but his face. “When… when is he coming back?”

Yukio raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Who? Haru?”

Ami shook her head fiercely but didn’t give an answer. The man was about to repeat himself when he noticed that her eyes lingered on the shield at his side, its mirrored surface glinting in the light.

“Oh… you meant… Trico?”

“Mm-hm.” The girl nodded. “I… I wanted to see him…”

Yukio closed his eyes and sighed, not at Ami’s naïve request but at the pain the answer caused him. He paused a moment to compose himself before giving a sad smile. “I’m sorry, Ami, but he’s never coming back. Even if he survived that day… I doubt he’d like our spears pointed at him again.”

Ami looked down, seemingly very interested in the blades of grass poking up from under her sandals. Yukio patted her head lightly as he stood back up. She would come to him when she felt ready to talk, or he’d find her buried nose deep in the village’s small collection of books.

A holler from the edge of the village drew his attention back to the gathering of hunters. Haru was waving for Yukio to join them, even though most of the men were already heading into the forest. “I should go. We’ll be back before dinner, if you want to talk about this some more.”

The girl nodded and mumbled a farewell. Yukio took that as his cue to leave and quickly joined the other men. In truth, he wouldn’t have minded chatting more about his old friend, but he’d been on the receiving end of a prank more than once because he didn’t keep up with the rest of the hunters. He’d rather not tempt fate that day.

* * * * * * * * * *

As the hours went by, a calm settled within the village. All the morning chores were done, and it was still too hot to start the evening routine. It was a time when most of the adults either rested or worked on less strenuous tasks. For the kids, though, it was time to play.

Some of the older boys had started a game of ball, and most of the others joined in quickly. It was well under way by the time Ami decided that re-reading Yukio’s journals was no longer interesting. Seeing a hand-drawn hawk was no substitute for seeing one soaring above the canopy, and his descriptions of bear signs didn’t fully capture how small she felt when she saw those claw marks in the trees.

Grabbing a satchel from the dormitory, Ami slipped out into the forest. As long as she wasn’t gone for too long, no one would be upset, and having a satchel full of ripe fruit when she returned wouldn’t hurt. There were a few apple trees a fair way from the village that looked nearly ready to eat the last time she’d been there, so she went there first.

Her footsteps were quiet enough that she didn’t worry about disturbing the animals going about their business. Traders often commented on how silent the forest was, but that was because they made so much noise with their carts and their horses. A single girl could practically blend into the background and witness the scurrying animals that hid the moment a twig snapped.

On her way to the apple trees, Ami caught sight of a fox stalking something smaller through the underbrush. Crouching down to see past the tangle of leaves, she saw that the target of the fox’s attention was a lone hare. The girl became acutely aware of her own breathing as the lupine hunter inched forward with padded feet.

 _I wonder,_ she thought to herself, _if our hunters learned how to stalk from foxes. Will I be that graceful when I join a hunt? I hope so… She looks so focused._

The fox crouched further down, tensing up in the moment before the pounce. Ami held her breath in anticipation of the strike…

A strike that never came.

Both fox and hare stiffened, their ears twitching in the same direction. In a split second, the hare dashed forward, and the fox took off in a different direction.

“What happened…?” She had no idea what invisible signal had called off the hunt. Ami stood back up and brushed the moist dirt from her tunic. With the hunt over, there was no reason to remain there.

But an air of unease hung over the girl. Something had spooked the fox enough to abandon a meal, and, usually, things that spooked predators were things to be wary of. She had nearly reached the apple trees when she got a sign as to what that thing might be.

Through the trees, she could see something moving about. Something massive. Ami immediately crouched down and pressed herself against the side of a fallen log. Logic told her that she should leave now and tell the elders that something was in the forest. Something far larger than a bear. But another part of her – a far louder part – wanted to see what it was. Just a peek, then she’d go back to the village.

Crawling closer to the clearing she knew was ahead, Ami leaned around the log. What she saw was something she’d only seen in drawings and her own imagination.

The creature was indeed huge, its body shaped like a large cat. Two wings were folded against its back and rustled with every motion as it pawed at the thorny branches of an apple tree. Its black feathers had a slight shine to them that dulled as it reached a crescent of beige feathers ringing both eyes. Large ears flicked towards Ami, and she froze as the beast turned to her, eyes glowing a light shade of violet as it growled.

In that instant, she wished she had never asked to meet a torikomo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Correction, the next chapter will be happier. As always, comments and critiques are greatly appreciated.
> 
> (And another thank you to arisuchansenpai for being my beta.)


	3. Chapter 3

There were only a few things she could do at that moment. Ami could run back to the village and hope the beast didn’t feel like chasing her. That would’ve been the sensible thing to do and much more likely to work than trying to hide or get out of its reach. But the girl’s mind went blank as the beast pounced on the log, crushing the weakened wood under its immense weight. It roared sharply, and Ami scrambled behind the nearest bush she could see.

The beast easily followed her path with its eyes and hopped in place before swiping at the delicate tangle of branches and leaves that hid her. Ami cried out in terror as her only cover was destroyed. She ran again, this time to the apple trees. She sensed the beast preparing to pounce again as she dove under the low-hanging branches. The beast whined in frustration and tried to follow, but it pulled back when the tree’s thorns scraped its snout. Ami let out a sigh of relief and climbed into the boughs, further from the beast’s large mouth.

Beyond the cover of leaves, the beast paced, snapping at the tree but stopping just short of getting poked again. Ami watched its frustration while safely hugging the trunk. Eventually, it would get bored or give up and leave her be. All she had to do was wait it out.

Soon, the beast stopped trying to get at her and sat down. Its gaze never left Ami or the tree, but otherwise it did nothing but bark every so often. As if she would forget it was there. Secure in the knowledge that the beast wouldn’t try to attack her while she remained on her perch, the girl looked around. The beast’s roars had driven off all of the birds and small critters that usually scurried up and down the boughs, leaving only the wind to rustle the leaves. Several apples hung from the smaller branchlets, further from the trunk yet still protected by thorns.

Minutes passed, and Ami decided that she might as well do what she’d come here to do. Slinking through the branches, she plucked several apples and plopped them into her satchel. It would hardly be enough of an excuse if she returned home too late, but at least her long trip wouldn’t be for nothing. If she got enough, the caretakers might even be willing to make some sweets from the fruit. It would be like a festival! Ami’s mouth began watering slightly at the thought, and she ended up tugging too hard on one apple. The red fruit fell from her hand and rolled beyond the safety of the tree’s thorns. The girl huffed. If she’d been more careful, then that wouldn’t have happened.

Ami started shifting her footing to reach the next branch, but some movement caught her eye. The beast was considering the apple she’d just dropped. It kept glancing between her and the fruit, but its eyes no longer glowed that violet hue. Instead, they shone a blue, almost green color. The girl paused midway between branches, eyes locked on the beast’s actions. Suddenly, it snatched the apple off the ground and ate it in one big gulp.

“You… like apples?” Ami pondered aloud.

The beast made a sound that was somewhere between a purr and the cooing of a pigeon. It was probably just expressing appreciation of the food, but it sounded so much like it was replying to her. As she climbed to the nearest apples still on the tree, it stood up and sniffed in her direction. Ami plucked another fruit, but instead of putting it in her satchel, she just… stared at it for a moment.

 _What do I have to lose?_ The girl tossed the apple so that it landed well beyond the thorny branches. The beast turned to follow it and snatched it up even quicker than before. Ami placed only a few more apples in her satchel. She was no longer interested in gathering food.

The boughs creaked ever so slightly as she made her way to the ground. The beast sat down the moment her feet left the tree, huffing and growling softly until she retrieved another apple and rolled it to the beast. Never had she seen a wild animal act quite so tame. Maybe some of the smaller birds that made their nests under the awnings of her village’s houses, but they were far too timid to outright beg for food. Ami knew it was foolishness, yet she didn’t hesitate to step out from under the tree’s protective reach.

“Trico?”

The beast didn’t react. It only turned back to her when it had finished with the last apple, looming over the girl expectantly.

“Not Trico, then…” Ami sighed. The beast hummed as if in response and dipped its head down to where she could easily look it in the eye. There was an intelligence behind those shining orbs that she couldn’t easily identify, and yet… it almost seemed comforting. Her caution faded to the back of her mind, and Ami laid a tentative hand on the beast’s nose. Time stood still as the beast didn’t move for several tense moments.

Then, it closed its eyes and nuzzled further against Ami, until it was pushed up against her torso and making happy, squeaking noises. The girl scratched its face lightly, just as Yukio had described in his stories, and any fear that may have lingered vanished instantly. She giggled and buried her face in the soft feathers of its snout. “Well, I can’t just call you nothing. What about ‘Mika?’” The beast gently huffed, and Ami took it as an agreement. “It’s nice to meet you, Mika. But I really need to get home, or they’ll start worrying about me.”

Ami pulled away, but Mika wasn’t done just yet. With a quick flick of her head, the beast snatched Ami up by the scruff of her tunic. It took a moment for her to realize that she was no longer on solid ground, and she gasped, unsure what the beast had planned for her and unwilling to open her eyes. Mika made a soft whine as she gently set the frantic girl down, but it wasn’t cool dirt that met her soles. Ami’s eyes flew open, and she saw that the beast had placed her on her back. The girl reflexively gripped the smooth feathers when Mika began walking, sniffing around as if in search of more interesting things.

“Well…” Ami sighed, “it’s not that dark. I suppose I can stay out a bit longer.”

* * * * * * * * * *

A good hunt could do wonders, but a poor one could prove just as helpful in sweeping old memories into the back of one’s mind. The latter was the case as Yukio laid a friendly hand on Haru’s shoulder, helping to wipe some of the mud from his tunic in the process.

“That deer was so big…” the hunter sighed. “We could have had meat for days…”

“And have you bragging about it for the next month? I think we can live without venison,” Yukio jested. His friend wasn’t that much of a braggart, but he didn’t always know when to stop talking. He still didn’t deserve that slip into a mud puddle. “Don’t worry about it, Haru. There’s always the next hunt.”

Haru shrugged and smiled, wiping the last traces of mud from his face. “I _suppose_ I can take your advice for now,” he joked in return. “Thanks again for making sure it didn’t trample me. That would’ve been one injury too many.”

The village soon became visible through the trees. The men carrying their haul had gone on ahead to prepare dinner, leaving the rest to saunter home at their own pace. Yukio tended to walk slower, enjoying the trip back, and Haru would never leave his best friend alone this late in the day. It wasn’t any surprise to them when there was already a commotion going on in the large clearing that served as their home.

Then the signal gong sounded.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

And it kept going.

Yukio gasped and turned to his friend, mouth and eyes wide in shock. Something had happened, and it wasn’t good. A moment of understanding passed between the two men, and then they broke into a run, making a beeline for the front of the dormitory. They joined a congregation of the other village men, all with spears in hand and some preparing torches to combat the rapidly approaching twilight.

“Chief!” Haru shouted. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

The village chief, a wise man who wore all white, turned from the worried caregivers and their frantic scramble to herd the children inside. He nodded to Haru but almost immediately fixed his gaze on Yukio and stepped towards him. His face was calm and passive, with only the slightest hint of a furrowed brow, and the tattooed man felt a chill settle in his stomach.

Thoughts tumbled through his head, each worse than the last. _Is another village attacking? Have the food stores gone bad? Has… has a plague struck? Gods… please no…_

Yukio gulped and stood up straight as the chief stopped before him. “Wh-what’s wrong?” the tattooed man asked.

“Torikomo have been sighted circling overhead,” the chief said, as plainly as possible. “And Ami is missing. Tell me you’ve seen her, and we won’t have to think the worst.”

Yukio instantly knew what he was insinuating. “I… I haven’t seen her since this morning… But the Master of the Valley is gone! They shouldn’t have any reason to take someone.”

The chief sighed and shook his head. “I wish I could believe you, Yukio. I truly do…” Turning back to the rest of the villagers, he shouted, “Ready the defenses! We will be ready if they try to take another!”

The rest of the villagers spread out, some watching the sky and some keeping an eye on the forest. Haru tried to shake Yukio back to the present, but he didn’t know what to think. Something felt wrong. He just didn’t know what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good at writing a consistently happy chapter, am I?  
> As always, comments and critiques are greatly appreciated.
> 
> EDIT: After replaying some of the game, I've decided to call Trico's species "torikomo" instead. During one of the cutscenes, a lady appears to call Trico a "torikomo", so I think that's what they're called in-universe.


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn’t long before the torikomo made another pass over the village. The other men gasped and whispered among themselves. Would they be able kill the beast? Would it even land? How many were there this time? Yukio was the last person who’d been taken, and that had been so long ago. At least when the attacks had been regular, they knew what to expect. This time, however…

When the beast did appear, it was without warning. It seemed to fall out of the sky, stretching its wings out wide just before it would’ve crashed into the ground. It hovered for a moment, glancing around the clearing before it landed some distance away from the dormitory. Spears were raised in an instant as some of the closest men tried to goad it further away from the buildings, but the beast would not be dissuaded so easily. It roared and swiped at the men, its armor no less intimidating despite being ill-kept and rusted in places.

Yukio hung back with Haru by his side. Only the boldest of their peers were up near the beast, some hurling spears that bounced off its armored back before retreating for another weapon. Most of the younger men had never seen a torikomo without a caregiver guarding them and were unsure how to fight such a thing.

“That wouldn’t happen to be your friend, would it?” Haru ventured, doubt already lacing his voice. He certainly didn’t look surprised when Yukio shook his head.

“No,” he answered. If the beast’s aggressive behavior hadn’t been enough, the fact that its tail was still long enough to flop almost uselessly on the ground proved it beyond a doubt. “That’s not Trico. It must be one of the others.”

“Wonderful,” Haru groaned. “You wouldn’t happen to have any suggestions?”

Yukio was about to reply when a loud crash and cracking sound came from behind. The men whirled around and saw that this was not like the other times torikomo came to the village. This time, while one beast drew the men’s attention and spears, two other beasts had alighted on the dormitory and ripped a hole in the building. Children’s cries joined the cacophony of noise, and Yukio could barely hear his friend shouting about how they had to focus on these new torikomo.

There was no way they could keep the beasts from taking at least a few children. The village couldn’t even kill one beast; they could never take down three. One of the torikomo – a slim beast with feathers black as pitch – took off before anyone could get it within range of their spears, and the tattooed man clearly saw it swallow before hurling itself into the air.

For a moment, Yukio didn’t know what to do. But he couldn’t deter these torikomo, nor would they leave without their prize. Trico’s absence felt like a stone brick on his heart, because he knew that only a beast could defeat a beast. Yukio raised his spear and charged the beast alongside Haru, hurling it with a shout that echoed the frustration he felt.

* * * * * * * * * *

Trico flew close to the treetops as he approached his destination. He could hear the shouts of men and the cries of torikomo in the distance, and he knew that things weren’t right. There was no reason for the others to go anywhere near the villages of men… at least, not since the master was silenced. Trico pushed himself to go faster.

It wasn’t long before he saw the clearing. He hadn’t been back for many winters, and it still looked much like it always had. But there were also three torikomo harassing the settlement. The beast’s eyes clouded as he saw them swipe and screech at the men, and he roared. A black-feathered beast took off from the partially destroyed building it was on, snapping at him as it flew past. Trico barked his displeasure but didn’t change course. The boy – _his_ boy – was more important. The boy could make things happen. Maybe, he could make something happen to protect his chicks from the pack. One little beast wasn’t worth going after.

With a cry of anger, Trico dropped out of the sky, onto the back of the torikomo with its head still in the building. The sudden addition of weight caused the smaller animal to slip, and they both crashed to the ground. Panicked shouts came from the men all around as the feathered giants found their footing. Trico recovered first and swiped at the other’s masked face. It huffed as his paw hit and quickly rounded on him, lunging at his throat, but he was no longer an inexperienced fledgling. Trico reared up and slammed his paws down on the other torikomo’s head. Then he hopped back, arching his body to show that he was ready and willing to continue his assault. The smaller animal recoiled, shaking its head before observing Trico’s threatening posture. It let out a harsh whine and turned its back to him, bounding towards the trees and leaping into the air with a powerful beat of its wings.

Trico roared and looked toward the last torikomo in the village. It was a bit larger than the other two that had fled, and he could see that it was keeping some of the men’s attention with sharp barks and swift strikes. Trico shrieked and ran at it, easily jumping over the few men between him and it. However, this torikomo was not so unaware as the others. Moments before he could reach it, the torikomo lunged at one of the villagers before it, gulping the man down before he knew what had happened. Trico rammed its shoulder, but it recovered from the blow with ease and took to wing. He roared at the fleeing creature as it disappeared into the night.

And unnatural quiet took hold of the clearing, in which the only sounds were those of the beast’s heavy breaths and the shuffling of human feet. Whispers came from several of the villagers as they turned their attention towards the remaining beast, but his violet-eyed focus was on the sky until he heard a single word from among the men.

“Trico?”

Trico looked down at the man who had spoken. He was taller than he remembered and had a bit of scruff on his chin, but he was the only one there covered in black marks. The beast sniffed in his direction, just to make sure. And the man smelt faintly of ink and parchment and leaves… the same smell that the boy had.

This man was the boy! _His_ boy! Trico barked in joy and bounced at seeing his friend again. This was a good thing. Good things always happened when the boy was around. He stepped forward to give his friend a nuzzle.

But someone screamed, and Trico felt a spear sink into his side. He roared and rounded on the villager who had struck him. Forgetting that the boy was even there, he swiped at his attacker, hitting him squarely in the side and knocking him to the ground. More men shouted, and he felt two more spears hit his body. Trico’s eyes once again turned an angry shade of violet, and he turned quickly, snapping at anyone who got close.

The boy was yelling at the rest of the villagers, but whatever he was saying couldn’t stop them from attacking the beast. Someone must have tied a rope to one of their spears, because soon, Trico felt corded hemp hit his hind legs, yanking his feet out from under him. The beast cried out as he fell, and more lengths of rope were thrown over his back, forcing him down. He struggled to worm his way free, but the men worked too quickly, and his legs were pinned under his body in such a way that he couldn’t get any leverage.

Realizing how vulnerable he was, Trico gave a long cry for help. His mate and chicks were miles away, but the boy was still there. He could make something happen. The beast whined as more ropes bound even his neck to the ground, and the boy finally pushed past the other villagers. Without a pause, the boy dropped to his knees and laid against Trico’s face, stroking his feathers and whispering something between gentle refrains of his name.

Trico huffed softly.

His friend was there.

Things would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thanks to arisuchansenpai and stormyclouds for beta-reading this chapter.
> 
> As always, comments and critiques are welcome!


	5. Chapter 5

“Is… is that the gong?” Ami stopped rubbing Mika’s belly to listen to the faint sound. The young beast whined in protest, but the girl’s focus was elsewhere, back in her village. If they had rung the signal gong that many times, then something bad had happened. Ami jumped to her feet, realizing with a start that the sun was well below the horizon. “Oh no! I’ve been out too long! I-I’m sorry, Mika, but I have to get home!”

The young beast rolled back onto her feet and nudged the girl with her nose. Ami patted her gently but pushed her away. Now was not the time to concede to a wild animal’s whims. The longer she stayed out, the fewer excuses she could use when she finally got back. At the moment, she was thinking of going with the one her caretaker most often believed: the “I got lost” excuse.

Mika huffed and began pushing back until she suddenly stopped, ears perking up instantly and turning towards the village. The beast’s gaze soon followed, and she raised her head up as if she could look over the treetops.

“That’s just the gong,” she said, taking a few steps while Mika was occupied. “It’s how I know they’re worried about me. I… I can give you all the best pets tomorrow. I promise.”

The young beast’s attention stayed focused on the sound for another instant before she turned back to Ami.

Ami expected some kind of whine or protest, some last attempt to get her to stay in the forest. What she got was quite different.

Mika picked the girl up and tossed her onto her back. Ami yelped and dug her fingers into her feathers as soon as she landed, but her relief was only temporary. Crouching on her haunches, the young beast raised her wings, which seemed to grow as she gave a few test flaps. Mika gave only a few short growls in warning, and Ami braced herself for the sudden motion as they leapt into the air.

Wind rushed past them, rustling Ami’s clothing and whipping her bangs all about her face. The girl fought the urge to look down as they ascended, focusing instead on the darkening skyline. She could only imagine what it would look like in the light of day, but that was a fleeting thought compared to her sudden awareness of how much it would hurt if she fell.

“Mika!” Ami shouted into the wind. “What are you doing? The village is that way!”

The young beast barked and stopped climbing higher. They were still far above the canopy, but now she was merely gliding with a flap or two to keep airborne.

And they were getting further away from the village.

“M-Mika… please,” the girl cried. Yukio had never said anything about Trico kidnapping him. Maybe at the beginning, but that was because of the armor, wasn’t it? Ami sniffled a bit. What if she was being taken back to the Nest? What if Mika decided to keep her there forever? She tightened her grip as she started crying in earnest. “Wh-why…?”

The young beast howled, but Ami kept crying. She almost didn’t hear the harsh screech of another torikomo coming from up ahead. With her hands firmly buried in Mika’s feathers, the girl could only wipe her eyes on her sleeve before glancing over Mika’s head. Against the rapidly fading light, Ami saw the black shape of another beast gliding over the woods. It looked to be a bit larger than Mika, if she had judged the distance correctly.

“Is… is that a friend?” she managed to choke out through the remaining tears. But she doubted that was the case as she saw Mika’s ears lie flat against her head. The young beast barked harshly as they gained on the torikomo, and Ami could see why she was so disturbed.

The other beast had feathers so dark that a few hours more and she wouldn’t have been able to see it at all. More terrifying still was the plated armor covering its back and the close-fitting mask obscuring its face. She wasn’t sure if it was true for every one of them, but Yukio had said that all of the armored torikomo he saw were vicious and cruel. It was a blessing that he had defeated that… thing controlling them.

So why was the armored beast there? Hadn’t Yukio killed them all? Ami began to shake at the thought of what it could do to her if it found them. But Mika remained unaware of her rider’s distress and flapped her wings harder to gain on the armored torikomo. The girl buried her face into the young beast’s feathers and hoped that this was all just a dream, even though the wind rushing past them chilled her skin and kept her awake.

Mika barked again, and this time, she received an answer.

“No…” Ami whimpered, glancing up just enough to see the armored torikomo slowly turn around to face this new annoyance. While Mika gave a sharp howl and aimed to charge, the other beast merely snarled and raised its glossy tail in their direction. An ominous glow seeped out through the plates of its armor, so faint at first that Ami wasn’t even sure she saw it correctly. But soon it was so bright that she briefly wondered if the village could see it. In the same instant, however, the tip of its tail glowed as well. Eyes going wide, the girl pulled back on Mika’s feathers. “Wait! Stop! It’s going to-”

Her sentence was cut short as a blast of light consumed them, followed by pain like someone was stabbing a thousand hot pins into her skin. She wasn’t sure if the scream she heard was her own or if it was just Mika crying out. The pain passed almost as soon as it had arrived, a small mercy that Ami was unable to appreciate as she lost consciousness immediately after the lightning struck. Her hands slipped from the young beast’s feathers, and she began to fall.

* * * * * * * * * *

A nudge at his shoulder roused Yukio from his slumber. The tattooed man buried his face into the soft feathers of Trico’s side in an attempt to chase a few more minutes of sleep. He had no such luck, as the nudge came again, more forceful than before.

“Have you grown roots already?”

Yukio sighed and reluctantly opened his eyes to be met with the sight of Haru kneeling beside him. A dull ache began to spread through his lower back, and he realized that it had been ages since he slept on the ground like that. Slowly, he pushed himself into a more upright position. “Uh, no. Not yet.” He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and saw that his friend was glancing nervously between him and his feathered companion. It took a moment for him to wake up enough to realize why that would be.

“Trico!”

Haru fell backwards in surprise as Yukio scrambled to get to the beast’s face. The morning dew made the grass slick beneath his feet, but the tattooed man hardly stumbled. Trico was still bound right where the villagers had left him, too scared to try moving him. Only Yukio’s endorsement had stopped them from butchering the poor beast where he lay, and he had no doubt the elders would order Trico killed if he left his side. He had spent so much time awake and wary of the men keeping watch. It was no surprise he’d fallen asleep.

None of which felt like it mattered as Yukio placed his hand on the beast’s cheek and was greeted with a soft huff. The man let out a relieved chuckle. “It’s good to see you, too, my friend,” he whispered as he touched his forehead to Trico’s feathery brow. There were precious few times when the world felt as right as it did to once again be in his massive shadow. Yukio didn’t want the feeling to pass, but he knew it couldn’t last long.

“So, um…” Haru cleared his throat, “… he’s not as big as you made him sound.” The tattooed man tilted his head just enough to meet his friend’s eyes. Haru was so often full of confidence and good cheer, but now he just looked off to the side and rubbed the back of his neck.

Trico did seem a bit smaller than he remembered. Yukio could clearly remember when he barely came up to the beast’s elbow, but now he might be able to reach Trico’s shoulder with only a bit of effort. “Well, I was just a kid when we last met. Everything looks a bit bigger then.”

“Heh, yeah…” His friend glanced between him and the beast. “What… are you going to do now? I doubt the elders will let you go hunting with your friend there. They’ve been arguing since last night.”

Yukio sighed heavily and sat down against Trico’s shoulder, idly scratching behind the beast’s ear. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. His only goal had been to keep Trico alive, but it would all be for naught if he couldn’t convince the rest of the tribe that the beast wasn’t a threat. Given that Haru was the only one who’d approached them, he doubted that even his actions would convince them at this point.

“I don’t know…” Yukio relented. “Maybe, with time, I’d be able to sway some minds, but with the attack so fresh in our minds…”

“I know,” Haru said as he sat beside them. “Too bad you can’t talk to the other torikomo and just tell them to bring our kids back. Then those old fools would have to listen to you.” He chuckled half-heartedly and shrugged, to which Yukio rolled his eyes. Haru was a good friend, but his sense of humor left something to be desired.

Or did it?

The tattooed man opened his mouth, but the words hung unused in his throat as he gave serious thought to his friend’s flippant remark. After a long moment of silence, he said, “No, you’re right.”

“Of course… wait. Right about what?”

“Something must have happened at the Nest. And if we go there, we might be able to retrieve those the torikomo stole…”

“Oh… That still doesn’t answer how to make the elders let Trico go.”

Yukio nodded and gave his feathered friend a pat as he huffed softly. “Haru, thank you, but I need some time to think. This… may not be as hopeless as I thought.”

“Okay,” Haru sighed, standing up and stretching his legs. “You know what you’re doing. Just promise you’ll get up and walk around a little. You could use a stretch after sleeping out here.”

“I will. And again, thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thanks to arisuchansenpai for beta-reading this chapter.
> 
> As always, comments and critiques are welcome!


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